Media Quotes of the Week: Tony Gallagher axed at Telegraph, BBC bashed over whistleblowers and Us Vs Them gets exclusive pics of concrete

Ben Bryant ‏@benbryant on Twitter: "Daily Telegraph editor Tony Gallagher has left. Newsroom in shock. Some in tears."

Tim Montgomerie @TimMontgomerie on Twitter: "Under @gallaghereditor The Telegraph was strikingly independent of the Tory Party- relentlessly reader-focused. CCHQ will hope that changes."

Dan Sabbagh ‏@dansabbagh on Twitter: "Word seems to be that Tony Gallagher was fired. Had no shortage of squabbles with him on twitter + email, but often impressed by his paper."

fleetstreetfox ‏@fleetstreetfox on Twitter: "Although kind of amazed the editor who masterminded the expenses scandal coverage for the Tel got the boot. Daft."

Peter Preston ‏@PJPrest on Twitter: "T Gallagher isn't some old-style print journo. He co-founded Mail Online. He walks the digital walk with aplomb. But he IS a journalist..."

Telegraph Media Group chief executive Murdoch MacLennan in a staement: “While continuing to produce brilliant newspapers in print and maintaining The Telegraph’s character and quality, the restructuring is designed to build on the Telegraph brand in order to attract customers with the very best, digital products possible. Unlike our rivals, The Telegraph remains profitable but we face increasing pressure on circulation and advertising revenue streams. To protect the company’s future we need rapidly to embrace and adapt to the new digital world in which our customers live.”

Nick Cohen in The Observer on Liz MacKean, the BBC journalist who helped expose the Jimmy Savile scandal: "The BBC has not treated its whistleblowers honourably or encouraged others to speak out in the future. Liz MacKean has had enough. Her managers did not fire her. They would not have dared and in any case the British establishment does not work like that. Instead, they cold-shouldered her. MacKean was miserable. The atmosphere at work was dreadful. The BBC wouldn't put her on air. She could have stayed, but she did not want to waste her time and talent and end up a bitter old hack. She chose the life of a free journalist instead and went off to work in independent – in all sense of that word – television."

Edward Malnick in the Sunday Telegraph: "The Government is suppressing official advice over the legality of new rules to regulate the press, The Telegraph can disclose. Ministers are refusing to disclose the contents of a key document on the Royal Charter, a new system of regulation which critics say risks granting politicians control over the press for the first time in 300 years."

Andrew Miller, chief executive of Guardian Media Group, on the planned sale of its £600million stake in AutoTrader, as reported by the Telegraph: “This proposed transaction makes strategic sense as we focus GMG’s activities on award-winning digital and print journalism. On completion, the sale-proceeds will strengthen our balance sheet and position us for further investment and growth in our core business.”

Richard Simcox ‏@richsimcox on Twitter: "The most surprising thing about #gaystormsgate (?) is the Henley Standard only ran David Silvester's claims as a letter, not a story. #UKIP"

Charlie Beckett on The Conservation about a meeting of international journalists in the UK hosted by Polis: "What was clear from what the international delegation said was that the damage to Britain’s reputation as a beacon of free expression has already been done. They are convinced that Leveson (along with events such as the government attacks on The Guardian over Edward Snowden) has made the state of British news media a cause for serious concern."

Guardian readers' editor Chris Elliott in his Open Door column on why the paper took down an article by freelance Emma Keller on Lisa Bonchek Adams who has breast cancer: "I don't think it is wrong to frame a question about how those with incurable illnesses use social media, but the Guardian was wrong in the way it went about it."

 

Mike Lowe ‏@cotslifeeditor on Twitter: "For the first time I can ever remember, I haven't bought a newspaper this week. As a print junkie, that can't be good news for the industry."

alan rusbridger ‏@arusbridger on Twitter: "Guardian website blocked in China after revealing leadership's offshore tax secrets."

Us Vs Them ‏@UsVsTh3m : "Want to know why the Victoria Line is suspended? We've got exclusive photos. WARNING: GRAPHIC CONCRETE."

Simon Rogers on data journalism, on this blog from new book Data Journalism: Mapping the Future: "Of course, for some people, this will never be journalism. But then, who cares? While they are worrying about the definitions, the rest of us can just get on with it. Punk eventually turned into new wave, new wave into everyday pop and bands that just aren’t as exciting. But what it did do is change the climate and the daily weather. Data journalism is doing that too. In the words of Joe Strummer: People can do anything."